April 8, 2014

Zeta Iota Chapter's Dads' Weekend

The spring is always a fun time for the ladies of the Zeta Iota chapter (University of Virginia), but one of our favorite events just occurred this past weekend – Dads’ Weekend! Not only is this event a great time for the sisters, but our fathers always have a blast as well. With 93 dad and daughter pairs, the weekend was an incredible success.

This year, the first event of the day was a tailgate at the Alpha Phi house before the baseball game on Saturday. Everyone got the chance to pick up this year’s t-shirts (which I had the pleasure of designing), meet some of the other fathers, and enjoy a tasty lunch. Unfortunately, the plans for the rest of the day were slightly thrown off because of the rain, so instead of going to the baseball game, there was the option to go bowling. Despite the fact that some of us hadn’t bowled in years, everyone had a great time, and it was an excellent opportunity to hang out with some of my friends and their fathers. In the late afternoon, there was a reception at a brewery, which naturally appealed to many of the dads. We were able to mingle, enjoy delicious appetizers (and beers for the dads) and listen to a live band, which was a lot of fun! Every year, my dad has an awesome time at Dads’ Weekend. He loves any chance to come down and visit me, and I always enjoy showing him around the chapter house and introducing him to my sisters. I don’t usually get the chance to hang out with my dad without my mom or my siblings, so it’s nice to have a weekend for just the two of us. He also loves being able to represent Alpha Phi with the t-shirts we get each year, which is adorable!

Something that I didn’t realize as a high school student is how much I appreciated getting to know my friends’ parents and families.With my group of friends from high school, I knew everything about their families (how many siblings they have, where they go to school, where their parents are originally from, and so on) but at college, you don’t have many opportunities to get to know your friends’ families. One of my favorite things about Dads’ Weekend is the chance to meet my friends’ fathers (and sometimes moms, if they come too). It’s always funny to see which women resemble their dads, and which qualities and traits come from their fathers. This weekend is not only the chance to bond with your own father, but you get to know your friends better too. My dad also loves getting the chance to meet my friends, and to get to know the people that I live and spend my time with. Even though it’s a year away, I can’t wait for my dad to come back next spring for Dads’ Weekend! Lindley Smith is a collegiate member at University of Virginia (Zeta Iota). Learn more about Lindley by clicking here.